Archives for October 2006

While China remains the single largest source country for new Canadian permanent residents, it may not remain so for long as a rise in arrivals from South Asia is causing a shift in the makeup of Canadian immigration.

For many years the position of the leading source of immigrants to Canada belonged to China. In 2005, 44 075 new permanent residents arrived from China, well ahead of second place India with 33 146. Recent information about the composition of Canadian immigration however suggests that these rankings are poised for a change.

Over the past two years there have been two overseas Canadian immigration intake centers in particular which have exhibited significant growth. New Dehli and London have seen their total inventories of immigration applicants surge by 60% and 75% respectively. It should be noted of course that the London office covers not only the UK and Ireland but also some nearby Northern European countries such as Sweden and Norway as well as seven of the states in the Persian Gulf region. This latter group – Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates and Yemen – accounted for fully 62% of applicants from London.

While this upward trend takes hold in South Asia (Islamabad has also seen a 25% increase) and the Gulf, the number of applicants through the Beijing and Hong Kong offices have veered in the other direction. After many years of growth we are now seeing a decline in total immigration applications from China. It remains early to consider the long-term character of this shift, but the decline may be partially explained by increasing economic opportunities fuelled by growth within China, along with difficulty in meeting English or French language requirements.

When we examine even further the South Asian growth is magnified by the demographics of the gulf region. Many of the applicants from the Gulf states being processed through London are Indian workers who had come to the Gulf for economic opportunities and are choosing Canada for a new home. With high levels of education and training in skilled trades and a high number of English speakers, growth from this region is expected to continue.

Also exhibiting rapid growth in applicants, though accounting for a much smaller proportion of total immigration to Canada are certain centers in Latin America and Africa. All of Guatemala, Havana, and Sao Paolo in the former and Abidjian, Accra, and Nairobi in the latter have at least doubled applications received over the past 3 years, with some growing as much as 600%. We can expect these regions to have increasing prominence in the picture of Canadian immigration.

For professionals such as accountants, engineers and nurses, it is a job seeker’s market in Canada.

Over 25% of employers across Canada reported that they were experiencing difficulty adequately staffing their companies due to a lack of available professionals, in a survey conducted by Manpower Canada, an employment services firm. In response employers are boosting salaries to avoid losing their professional staff. As Lori Rogers, Vice-President of Operations for Manpower said, “with competition for talent ever more fierce, in many cases employers are forced to offer higher compensation to attract and retain staff.” With the baby-boom generation reaching retirement age, these job market conditions can be expected to continue in coming years with much of the demand being met by immigration.

The high demand for professionals is found throughout all of Canada. Employers in Atlantic Canada displayed the highest unmet demand of the survey with 4 out of 10 employers reported they would have hired more professionals if they had found candidates, outpacing booming Alberta where job shortages are often reported. Results from the rest of Canada all indicated an approximately 25% rate of companies unable to find enough professionals to fill openings.

Canada is targeting foreign students at Canadian universities as a significant part of its economic strategy.

With the number of Canadians entering the labour force declining for the first time during a period when the country is not in recession, Canada is making a concerted pitch towards growing its international student population – and getting them to stay and work here when they graduate. With the language skills and the education a given, international students have the tools to succeed in Canada. To encourage them to do so, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) is shifting its policies to make things easier for students to work while they study, and to join the workforce full-time when they are finished.

Until recently, international students only had permission to work on campus. While universities have made efforts to ensure opportunities are available, the nature of this restriction has limited the opportunities of students to gain the experience to compliment their education. Recent changes to the regulations however allow foreign students who hold study permits to apply for an off-campus work permit. The new rules will allow most students to qualify for employment outside of their campus.

Also shifting are guidelines about hiring foreign students after they graduate. Under new Service Canada (the new federal combined government services agency which includes human resources) operational guidelines, employers can get exemptions from demonstrating recruitment efforts for Canadians if they are wishing to hire foreign graduates. The new guidelines acknowledge the need to facilitate the hiring of these skilled workers and ease their permanent stay in Canada.

From October 16-22nd, Canada marked Canadian citizenship week, an annual tradition led by Citizenship and Immigration Canada. The week is intended to encourage Canadians to reflect on the rights, privileges and responsibilities of Canadians. It is also intended to celebrate new Canadians and the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration The Honourable Monte Solberg presided over one of several citizenship ceremonies happening across the country.

At the ceremony in Ottawa where 35 new Canadians took the oath of citizenship, Minister Solberg launched the week’s events with a short speech. “I am honoured to launch this Citizenship Week by welcoming Canada’s newest citizens. New Canadians make a significant social, economic and cultural contribution to the country, and they play a crucial role in building a better Canada.”

As Canada continues to grow, so too does the rate of new citizens coming from outside its borders. In 2005, new citizenship grants grew by 2% over the previous year. As the birth rate is declining, immigration now accounts for two thirds of Canadian population growth, with that figure expected to continue rising.

Recently, Canadian newspaper editorials have called into question our policy of recognizing multi-citizenships.

The Canadian ideal has been to distinguish ourselves as a “mosaic” rather than a melting pot. In 1971, Canada became the first country in the world to officially adopt a policy of multiculturalism. This policy encourages immigrants to retain their culture, becoming if you will, “hyphenated” Canadians. This cultural combination has become a foundational point for Canadian society.